For many successful men and women in all walks of life, the key to success was that they were motivated more, at least in the beginning, by what was needed, or by what they felt they had to do, than thought of financial gain.

Recently I had a discussion with a quality manager concerning the focus of quality and what skills are important to success. It centered on the degree of focus which should be placed on the quality tools versus people and teams.

Although personal attitudes are influenced by core values, it is greatly influenced by management. Employee attitude about the product, about their work, about their managers, and about the organization will ultimately determine the quality of their work.

We understand that spreadsheets simply won't cut it anymore. Continuous improvement teams need to track and report on things beyond what project managers or technical leaders do. Learn how to get a dashboard view into projects and get the reports and insight needed to make CI a reality.

Regardless of what you’ve been told, there is one truism for people who must earn a living. You can expect your employer to demand more from you.

Regardless of the business you have customers and some of them are unhappy. Coping with these customers is an inevitable part of everyday business life and how you deal with them is a predictor of success.

Rube Goldberg is an American cartoonist well known for his illustrations depicting overly elaborate devices designed to accomplish relatively simple functions. These types of devices became widely known as Rube Goldberg machines.

What is the best way to encourage a continuous improvement culture?  While organizations have historically used rewards to entice employees to support these efforts, upper management’s ongoing and visible support is the best way to make continuous improvement “a way of life,”

Most organizations have discovered that their future success hinges on reinventing themselves as a lowest-cost producer. One of the keys is to focus on actions that can impact real costs every day.